The Interview Ch 4
by BobWhite Jo Ellen
Summary: Dianna goes for an interview looking at the idea of a change in her life. A very short installment. :


The Interview

Disclaimer: The characters of the Trixie Belden series do not belong to me. Thank you to my wonderful editor , all of the mistakes are mine . I also would like to thank the wonderful readers who leave reviews. It is the reviews that encourage me to continue writing and posting. I encourage everyone to please leave their thoughts after reading my work. As this is a new avenue for me, I welcome almost all feedback! Enjoy!

_ Why did I wear this skirt, it is so uncomfortable and now I am going to have to sit through a football game in it. I wonder if I will have time to change before I leave. I would really rather not have to explain my wardrobe, just being here will be enough of a surprise. Mom said Bobby Belden has been playing varsity, I wonder if he will be tonight. I know David will be playing Junior Varsity. How did he get old enough to play High School football, and why on Earth did Dad let him? Does he not know all that could happen to him? I am so glad Daniel had enough sense not to play. The marching band is so much safer. Did I remember my camera? Oh I really should have packed earlier then I would not be stressing over these details. _

INTERVIEWER: Dianna Lynch, it is a pleasure to meet you. Are you by chance related to Edward Lynch?

_Oh no, I do not want the job just because Dad supports the hospital and has pledged money to help with the new wing. I want this job because I am good at it and I am the right person for it. _

DIANNA: It is a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. Yes, Edward Lynch is my father.

INTERVIEWER: He has been very generous to our hospital. An excellent man with wonderful business sense; he used is good luck to serve not only him but the communities around him.

_Okay, I practiced for this, how did I word it? _

DIANNA: Yes, my father has been very blessed however I am my own person and hope to be judged accordingly.

INTERVIEWER I understand entirely and I can assure you we will be looking at your qualifications not your connections. I have your resume in front of me. You graduated top of your class from New York University.

_I thought we would all be there, and it would be just like it had always been; but of course it wasn't. Honey said change was bound to happen as we grew but I wasn't prepared for that change to hurt so much. _

DIANNA: That is correct. I took classes in family nursing, adult and elder nursing, nurse-client therapeutic interaction and pathophysiology, but choose to focus more on pediatric nursing.

INTE: RVIEWER I have to ask, with you being the daughter of a wealthy business man and philanthropist what made you decide to go into nursing?

_Mother would have killed me if I had become a flight attendant!_

DIANNA: When I was in middle school one of my younger brothers broke his arm. He ended up having to have surgery and for the whole family it was a traumatic experience, even if it was just a broken arm. It was the nurses who calmed us, explained things clearly to us. They also kept my brothers, sister and I entertained while my parents dealt with the doctors. For me it was the nurses who were the heroes. Later my two best friends ended up in a hospital after being kidnapped and once again it was the nurses who were the comforters, the healers with faces. That is who I wanted to be. I wanted to give to society, to make a difference on an individual level.

_I really wasn't there for Trixie and Honey's adventure and that was fine with me, but the nurses did help a great deal when David broke his arm. _

INTERVIEWER: You said you focused on pediatric nursing.

_It reminded me of my family. It gave a way to be caretaker again. How I have missed my siblings. _

DIANNA: Yes, the University offered several classes and once I was graduated I had the opportunity to work at Woodhull Pediatric Unit. I have spent several years on the pediatric floor there. I went back to school and just finished my masters in nursing science, pediatric care.

_The crazy schedule of work and school was almost therapeutic. For that time I was so wrapped up in my own world that I could block out the fact that the rest of the world was crashing around me. The Bob Whites all going separate ways, barely communicating anymore. They had been my second family, my security, my confidence. Am I really doing the right thing moving back? Am I opening old scars or trying to heal bleeding wounds?_

INTERVIEWER: According to your letter of recommendation here you were the lead nurse on your floor.

_Of course he would put that in. I hated being lead nurse; it turned out to be more buroecracey than I could stand. I was always in meetings, someone was always unhappy, and the paperwork increased at least ten times. Not one of those nurses would ever be a close friend; they were all too caught in their own world and I guess I was too caught up in mine. _

DIANNA: Yes, I recently became lead nurse on our floor. This has not only allowed me to reach out to more children, learn about leadership, but I have also been given many opportunities to attend workshops.

INTERVIEWER: Can you give us an example of the type of workshops you have been attending.

_The one perk, I had forgotten how much I loved my hobby. Art is like a window into a soul. When I pick up a pencil, or brush, or piece of chalk it is like the world calms down. What a surprise to find how clearly I could think when working on a piece and what a shock to realize I was drawing the Bob Whites! I guess that is when I knew it was time to come home. _

DIANNA: I believe with children you need to focus on the whole body and not just healing one part of them. Recently I was attending a training for using art as a therapy for critically ill patients.

INTERVIEWER: That is a unique approach.

DIANNA: It is a unique approach but we have dedicated a room to arts, reading, and recreation and find it makes a great difference in attitude and that impacts recovery.

INTERVIEWER: Can you tell me what you believe your most significant accomplishment is.

_Joining the Bob Whites. Realizing that I could stand on my own two feet. Leaning that I could have confidence in myself; that I didn't need others to validate me. Making my own decision to move home. _

DIANNA: I was instrumental in the development of the arts, reading, and recreation room. I am very proud of it as I have seen it make a difference in families' lives.

INTERVIEWER: What do you consider your greatest strength?

DIANNA: Having been raised with four siblings I am incredibly patient and forever the caretaker. This has been of tremendous value to me. I find if I can let the family know that I am sincerely invested in their child's life it makes them more comfortable.

INTERVIEWER: What do you consider you greatest weakness?

DIANNA: I take each case to heart. It makes it very hard when we lose one.

_There are still faces I take to bed with me every night, faces that haunt me and will continue to haunt me. Faces of children my siblings ages caught in a cycle they didn't create and were not strong enough to get out of. _

INTERVIEWER: Dianna you have a wonderful job in New York, were you work with only children and have a leadership role. Why do you want to leave all that?

_There has to be more to life work. Just the drive down here was relaxing. The trees all decorated in their autumn colors. You could almost smell the cool air taking over for the intense heat. In a few weeks the trees will be bare and out here I can see that. Out here I can cross country ski when the snow falls, and skate when the water turns to ice. Out here I will be able to walk into the grocery store and know the clerk. I miss being able to leave my car unlocked. I have forgotten what it is like to not walk at almost a run. _

DIANNA: There are two main reasons I am ready to leave. First, I am finding the constant parade of terminally ill patients is burning me out too quickly. I would like to see fewer gunshot wounds and abuse cases. I would like to slow the pace down. Second, my siblings are growing and I am missing it. Being closer to home would allow me to participate in their lives again.

INTERVIEWER: You said you would like to slow the pace down. Even though we are a smaller town we still have a high number of patients and you will have more people on you case load here than you would in your current job.

DIANNA That is true however hopefully the types of cases I would be seeing would be different.

INTERVIEWER: How do you handle distraught parents?

DIANNA: I find the best way to handle family is honestly and calmly. The more I can keep them in the loop, the more time I can spend with them the more calm they tend to be. Parents will often reflect the atmosphere they feel around them.

INTERVIEWER: Will you be comfortable going back to duty nurse, shifting floors and changing shifts.

_I am ready to wait tables, pump gas, sell underwear at Crimpers if it means I get to be closer to my family!_

DIANNA: For a short time yes, for the duration no. I am hoping that as you see what I am capable of accomplishing you will place me on one floor rather than as a floating nurse. I understand the importance of a floating nurse and to be honest it would be difficult to find a harder nursing job, but I love getting to know my patients, it is my strong point and my weak point all in one.

INTERVIEWER: What is the greatest challenge you see in nursing today?

DIANNA: The shortage of trained nurses. I think this may come from a combination of society's perception of nursing and the budget challenges faced by hospitals and schools alike. Luckily I do not take stock in perception and I am confident in who I am so patients and families do not hurt my feelings.

INTERVIEWER: I notice you didn't mention money.

_Why does it always come back to money? Why do people assume that because my family has money it is important to me? Why could my parents never understand why I refused their help and why did my co-workers always assume I lived in a huge apartment rather than my tiny studio? If there is one thing I have learned about money is that it cannot buy happiness, but I guess you have to have that to learn that lesson. _

DIANNA: I started my life living simply. I can live off of a nurse's fair wage.

INTERVIEWER: Why should I hire you?

_Because I want to come home! _

DIANNA: I have participated in strong leadership roles. I am well educated and will continue to stay current with the new finding and theories of nursing. I am committed to this area for some time. I have compassion and a love for the job. I would be a great asset to your staff.

INTERVIEWER: It was wonderful to meet you Miss. Lynch. We will be in touch.

DIANNA: Thank you so much for your time.

_Oh thank goodness out in enough time to change into those jeans and Sleepyside shirt. If I time it right I may even make it to the beginning of the game. Won't they be surprised to see me there? How exactly am I going to explain this one? _


End file.
